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Happening ... in the Local Church
 The
chapel at Saint Joseph’s College, dedicated in May 1910, has remained
“the religious and spiritual heart of our campus,” says Father Kevin
Scalf, CPPS, a Precious Blood priest and director of campus ministry at
the school. (Photo by Kevin Cullen) |
||
 An
undated photo of the interior (Photo courtesy Saint Joseph’s College) |
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 |
 |
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| One of the chapel’s 22 stained glass windows. (Photo by Kevin Cullen) | A painting on an interior chapel wall (Photo by Kevin Cullen) | |
 The
cornerstone for the chapel was laid and blessed on May 2, 1909.
(Photo courtesy Saint Joseph’s College) |
||
 The
initials D.O.M. carved on the stone stand for the Latin words “Deo
Optimo Maximo,” or “To God, the Best, the Greatest.” (Photo Kevin
Cullen) |
||
By Kevin Cullen
The
Catholic Moment
RENSSELAER — A century ago this spring, on May 17, 1910, hundreds gathered to dedicate the resplendent new chapel at Saint Joseph’s College. Bishop Herman Alderding preached. The guest of honor was Indiana Gov. Thomas R. Marshall, a Protestant who praised Catholic education.
The $100,000, 15-month construction project was the costliest in the history of the college, but the result was one of the most beautiful churches in northwest Indiana.
Its two 130-foot towers could be seen for miles across the Jasper County prairie; the gilded, shimmering interior was filled with columns, statues, artwork, candlestick holders, Communion rails, a forest of varnished oak, and nine altars.
Today, 100 years later, the chapel still symbolizes the college and its image appears on logos and publications. The centennial will be marked in conjunction with an induction luncheon for college fellows on June 5. Meanwhile, fund raising and planning are under way for renovations needed for a second century of service.
“It’s a beautiful old building, but it certainly needs some restoration,” said Bess Thomas, of Chicago, who walked through the building before attending her nephew’s commencement exercises. “It really is a diamond in the rough and I’m glad to know they’re going to do something with it.”
The building is structurally sound, but it is inaccessible to the handicapped. It also needs mechanical upgrades and major redecorating.
A “Chapel Complex Endowment” fund-raising campaign ended June 30, 2008. Under its provisions, when all pledges were paid in full, and the fund balance reached $1 million, 5 percent of the endowment, or $50,000 a year, was to be used for maintenance and renovation of the structure.
The goal of $1 million in pledges has been reached, but more donations are being sought to create a larger endowment and greater interest earnings. Donors have until June 30, 2013, to make their final payments, said Maureen Egan, vice president for institutional advancement and marketing.
Meanwhile, the college is working with architect Andrew Guljas, diocesan facilities management coordinator, to solicit information from architectural firms experienced in church restoration. The Missionaries of the Precious Blood, founders and sponsors of the college, will be involved in deciding what to do, and when.
Throughout the history of the college, “the chapel has remained the religious and spiritual heart of our campus,” said Father Kevin Scalf, CPPS, a Precious Blood priest and director of campus ministry.
In it, the campus community gathers for Mass, prays before the Blessed Sacrament, and participates in non-sacramental services throughout the year .
“It is a special place to give honor and glory to our Lord through rituals and music and to celebrate the holy life of St. Gaspar (founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood),” he said.
Some alterations may be needed to accommodate small services, but “the great majority love the historic nature of the building. You will see us leaning much more toward tradition,” Egan said.
A history, written by retired history professor Father Dominic Gerlach, CPPS, in 2001, recounts the story of the dedication ceremony on May 17, 1910, and of the chapel itself, which stands on the site of the college orchard.
“Magnificent Church at St. Joseph’s Dedicated,” read the front-page headline of The Rensselaer Evening Republican. The building was described as “one of the grandest distinctly college chapels in the country … there can be no doubt that the Society of the (Precious) Blood intends to make St. Joseph’s College one of the greatest Catholic schools in the United States.”
Precious Blood priests and brothers established the college in 1889. By 1910, there were five major buildings, plus support buildings such as the powerhouse and the laundry, but none was as grand or as beautiful as the new chapel.
More than 100 clergy attended the chapel blessing, then came the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Bishop Alderding, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne, the mother diocese of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. The college choir performed. At noon, guests filled the new dining rooms beneath the building, and food was served by ladies from Rensselaer. Gov. Marshall spoke at 1:30 p.m. in the college gymnasium.
The theme of his talk was the importance of education for “both heart and head.” The college liked that phrase so much that it became a motto, of sorts, and it was used on news releases. Marshall debunked the myth that Catholic institutions were somehow “anti-democratic,” and he said that they actually laid the strongest moral foundation for a well-ordered state.
A few more speeches followed, then the guests headed out to watch the Saint Joseph’s baseball team beat DePaul by a score of 6-5.
The chapel was preceded by one that had been set up in the old St. Joseph’s Indian School building. Then, in 1893, it was moved to the second floor of the Main Building, where students studied, slept and attended all classes.
Plans for a freestanding chapel, the crown jewel of the campus, were announced in November 1908. At that time, the college had approximately 300 students and 15 priests, many of whom taught classes.
In 1908, Saint Joseph’s had to turn away 50 prospective students for lack of space. Moving the chapel out of the Main Building would create enough space for an additional 100 students. A separate chapel, the college president argued, also would be a constant reminder of what the college stood for, and that would attract even more students.
Eventually, plans called for construction of a building in the Romanesque style, 172 feet long and 84 feet wide, with a kitchen and dining halls in the basement. With it was built a convent and laundry; nuns ran the college kitchen and laundry.
The architect was Herman J. Gaul of Chicago, who designed other buildings for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, including Science Hall. General contractor was Frank Medland and Co., of Logansport, which had built nearly all of the earlier buildings on the campus.
Work began in early 1909. Local laborers did the excavations, and that spring the crushed rock, sand, 500,000 bricks and 11 carloads of Bedford limestone trim arrived. The cornerstone was laid and blessed on May 2, 1909. The inscription reads: D.O.M. ORATORIUM STI. JOSEPH MCMIX.” The initials stand for the Latin words “Deo Optimo Maximo,” or “To God, the Best, the Greatest.”
The chapel has 22 stained glass windows, and one of the bigger problems involved installing eight large panels that depict various saints. The windows were created by Emil Frei of St. Louis, but wall openings had to be altered to make them fit.
Italian artisans covered and painted the steel support beams with plaster to mimic marble. Painted murals were imported from Germany and affixed to the walls. The central altar was the largest and most elaborate, featuring a carved wooden panel beneath the altar table that depicted the Last Supper. Near it was a life-sized figure of St. Joseph, another of St. Francis Xavier and a third of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, the founder of the Society of the Precious Blood. Before it was a hand-carved Communion rail, flanked by two angels, each holding a lamp.
Eight smaller altars, four on each side, lined the sanctuary walls. Multiple altars were needed so that each priest could celebrate daily Mass. Concelebration was not allowed at that time.
The chapel bells arrived in 1919 and cost $3,200. They are St. Joseph, which weighs 2,600 pounds; St. Agatha, 1,850 pounds, and Ave Maria, 1,350 pounds. They could be heard for miles, and were linked to a weight-driven Seth Thomas clock that was electrified in 1965. A new electronic chime system was installed in the 1990s.
The original pipe organ came from the Main Building, but it was replaced in 1921 by a new instrument that cost $14,000. In 1980, a new organ was placed in a transcept instead of the choir loft.
For many years, students were required to attend Mass every morning, and there were three seminarian choirs.
In the 1960s and 1970s, responding to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, the interior of the chapel was drastically changed.
Statues, altars and some confessionals were removed. Several original pews were taken out to bring the altar closer to the worshippers and the tabernacle was moved into the west transcept. There was even talk of removing the stained glass windows, which some said distracted from the liturgy.
But in 1999, restoration of those windows began. The red tile roof was repaired a few years ago, at a cost of $400,000. Replacement tiles were imported from Germany.
“Today the chapel still holds a preeminent position on the campus, especially for visitors,” Father Gerlach wrote. “It is true that the chapel now stands somewhat on the fringe of the campus, and perhaps also in the minds of many residents. Yet it is a beautiful, noble building, a landmark, a sacred symbol for those who enter the driveway or simply drive past the college.”